Showdown likely between attorneys in Jackson case
By Linda Deutsch
The Associated Press
Posted August 16 2004
SANTA MARIA, Calif. · A day before he is scheduled to appear in court for his child molestation case, Michael Jackson made a surprise visit to a South Los Angeles church on Sunday and met with about 35 Sunday school students.
One girl at the First AME Church asked whether the children could visit Jackson's Neverland ranch, to which the pop star replied: "You're welcome to come anytime."
Jackson appeared with his attorney, Tom Mesereau Jr., brother Randy and comedian Steve Harvey. Mesereau declined to comment on the case.
Although the legal agenda for today's pretrial hearing is significant, emotional overtones could take center stage. The subject of this session is District Attorney Tom Sneddon, the man who also tried to bring charges against Jackson in 1993.
Today, Mesereau gets to question Sneddon about his actions in the weeks before the current charges against Jackson were filed. The defense is seeking to show that Sneddon invaded the sanctity of the attorney-client privilege between Jackson and his former attorney.
Jackson has not been required to attend pretrial hearings, but decided he wanted to be present for this confrontation. His parents and siblings will be in the audience.
"It's a face-off between Jackson and Sneddon," said Laurie Levenson, a Loyola University law professor and former federal prosecutor.
Jackson, 45, is charged with committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. He has pleaded not guilty and is free on $3 million bond.
Sneddon was subpoenaed by Jackson's attorneys to testify about surveillance he personally conducted at the office of a private investigator who was working for Jackson's former attorney, Mark Geragos.
Meanwhile, the state attorney general's office has concluded that Jackson was not "manhandled" by sheriff's deputies who took him into custody last year on child molestation charges, CBS News reported Sunday.
Jackson told CBS' 60 Minutes last year that he was "manhandled" by sheriff's deputies who deliberately handcuffed him in a way they knew was "going to hurt" and that dislocated his shoulder when he surrendered to authorities at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport on Nov. 20.
:nav Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationwor...ews-nationworld
By Linda Deutsch
The Associated Press
Posted August 16 2004
SANTA MARIA, Calif. · A day before he is scheduled to appear in court for his child molestation case, Michael Jackson made a surprise visit to a South Los Angeles church on Sunday and met with about 35 Sunday school students.
One girl at the First AME Church asked whether the children could visit Jackson's Neverland ranch, to which the pop star replied: "You're welcome to come anytime."
Jackson appeared with his attorney, Tom Mesereau Jr., brother Randy and comedian Steve Harvey. Mesereau declined to comment on the case.
Although the legal agenda for today's pretrial hearing is significant, emotional overtones could take center stage. The subject of this session is District Attorney Tom Sneddon, the man who also tried to bring charges against Jackson in 1993.
Today, Mesereau gets to question Sneddon about his actions in the weeks before the current charges against Jackson were filed. The defense is seeking to show that Sneddon invaded the sanctity of the attorney-client privilege between Jackson and his former attorney.
Jackson has not been required to attend pretrial hearings, but decided he wanted to be present for this confrontation. His parents and siblings will be in the audience.
"It's a face-off between Jackson and Sneddon," said Laurie Levenson, a Loyola University law professor and former federal prosecutor.
Jackson, 45, is charged with committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. He has pleaded not guilty and is free on $3 million bond.
Sneddon was subpoenaed by Jackson's attorneys to testify about surveillance he personally conducted at the office of a private investigator who was working for Jackson's former attorney, Mark Geragos.
Meanwhile, the state attorney general's office has concluded that Jackson was not "manhandled" by sheriff's deputies who took him into custody last year on child molestation charges, CBS News reported Sunday.
Jackson told CBS' 60 Minutes last year that he was "manhandled" by sheriff's deputies who deliberately handcuffed him in a way they knew was "going to hurt" and that dislocated his shoulder when he surrendered to authorities at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport on Nov. 20.
:nav Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationwor...ews-nationworld